A good bit to work on, warns Fitzmaurice

After the all-clear that was the Munster final, this was pretty much what the doctor would have ordered: a good stretch of the legs at HQ against a side that threatened intermittently, but one unlikely to catch them if they were at less than full health.

Happy days, then? Not quite.

“I suppose it’s satisfying to have won the game, certainly,” said Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice. “It’s great to be into an All-Ireland semi-final again this year, but it was far from the perfect performance.

“We have a good bit to work on for the next three weeks but, overall, you’d have to be happy.”

Plusses? Their scoring, stands out. 1-20 will do you nicely most days, of course, and it’s a figure that looks all the more attractive when all but two points of it comes from play. That says something about a team’s fluidity.

2-10 against? Could be better.

Kerry actually did well to limit Galway to three points by the break, but the concession of Thomas Flynn’s goal on the half-hour was of the type to have players shielding eyes with hands when the DVD is replayed this week.

The midfielder covered half the length of Croke Park and not a fingerprint would you have found on his jersey after it. One imagines Fitzmaurice mentioning it frequently when he needs to reach for a stick in the weeks ahead.

“We know what Galway are capable of doing. Tom Flynn ... he’s athletic and has good pace.

“But for him to get the ball on the half-way line and get through without a hand being put on him is something we have to work on.”

Fitzmaurice countered all that by framing yesterday’s challenge in the context of a Connacht final which Galway lost to Mayo, but only after striking the crossbar, missing a penalty and a collection of other scores besides.

It was a fair point.

Galway were similarly thrifty with their chances this time and, anyway, the suspicion was that Kerry would pull away if they found their feet in trouble. Five points from a considerably stronger bench helped them do that.

“All our subs impacted today. I was happy with the lads because, of course, there’s lads on the bench not happy that they’re not starting. But by the time the weekend comes around, they’re ready to go and they’re ready to contribute. We’re always talking about subs, that they can come into a game after five minutes.

“That you can get a black card or an injury and that was underlined today with Bryan Sheehan going off injured and David Moran coming on and doing well. We were delighted with all our subs, but Barry John (Keane) showed a lot of energy and he got three points from play, which was great. It comes down to the form he’s in. He’s been pushing hard for a starting slot and we could see that today.”

It all makes for an interesting three weeks in Fitzgerald Stadium.